By Boris Esono Nwenfor
KUMBA, PAV – Cameroon has taken a major step toward boosting local cocoa transformation with the inauguration of a semi-industrial cocoa processing mill in Kumba, South West Region. The facility, officially launched Thursday by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Gabriel Mbairobe, marks a milestone for the country’s cocoa sector and for the Agriculture Infrastructure Value Chain Development Project (AIVDP).
The ceremony formed part of the 11th Ordinary Steering Committee Meeting of AIVDP. Mrs Ebanja Victorine, First Deputy City Mayor of Kumba, described the inauguration as “a memorable page in the agricultural history of Kumba, the Southwest Region, and Cameroon at large.”
“Kumba is a crossroads where trade, ideas, and opportunity converge,” she said. “With this mill, we are not just processing cocoa; we are processing opportunities, processing hope, and processing a stronger future for our region.”
The new mill is the first of its kind in the South West and the first nationwide built under the Ministry of Agriculture through the AIVDP project, and notably the first to be managed by a cooperative. It will transform dry cocoa beans into cocoa powder and other derivatives, signalling a shift toward local value addition.
Despite progress made under AIVDP, including increased production, improved planting materials, and strengthened cooperatives, local leaders appealed for a second phase of the project. “The current phase is drawing to a close, yet the need for continuity is clear,” Mrs Ebanja said. “When the road is good, the journey should not stop halfway.”
Farmers also highlighted challenges, including rising input costs, unstable cocoa prices, poor farm-to-market roads, inadequate working conditions for frontline agricultural staff, and persistent electricity shortages in Kumba.
“A Dream Come True”
Speaking during the official handing-over ceremony, Ndedi Bau Akama-Makia, President of the South West Association of Cooperative Unions (SWACU), hailed the project as a breakthrough for cocoa producers.
“It’s a dream come true,” he said. “Six kilos of cocoa will give us more than 50,000 CFA francs when transformed. Value addition is the future, and this mill is our chance to harness that opportunity.”
SWACU, created in 2023 with AIVDP support, brings together four cooperative unions representing nearly 30,000 cocoa farmers across the region.
But Akama-Makia also relayed farmers’ grievances, including the lack of a warehouse, accumulated unpaid debts of 50 million FCFA owed by the Ministry for seedling production, and the heavy fuel costs incurred due to Kumba’s lack of industrial electricity. “We request that the high-voltage grid from Penja and Loum be reconnected,” he appealed.
A one-ton-per-hour Cocoa mill
Dr Besong Ogork Ntui, AIVDP Coordinator and General Manager of SOWEDA, said the mill has a capacity of one ton per hour and costs 714.4 million FCFA. It is equipped with machinery imported from China, including a roaster, grinders, conveyor belts, press stations, packaging systems, and a quality-control laboratory.
However, he acknowledged challenges: “The chronic absence of industrial power made it impossible for Chinese engineers to fully test the unit. Operating heavy equipment like the roaster on generators will be very costly unless the power supply is restored.”
A Step Toward Cameroon’s Agricultural Vision
Minister Gabriel Mbairobe praised the cooperative movement in Meme Division and highlighted the strategic importance of local transformation. “I’m very proud to inaugurate this mill,” he told reporters. “It is vital for increasing farmer incomes, supporting youth and women’s employment, and improving our trade balance. This is the first cocoa-producing division in Cameroon, and this unit will significantly enhance value addition.”
He used the occasion to encourage other cooperatives to emulate SWACU’s organisational strength as the country moves toward establishing an interprofessional cocoa organisation.
The new cocoa processing mill is expected to strengthen the South West Region’s role in national cocoa production, currently estimated at over 30 per cent of Cameroon’s output. It also aligns with the country’s push to reduce raw commodity exports and promote agro-industrial transformation.
